I was looking for an alternative mast float for the H14 an possibly my H16 then the Hobie bob.The reason for wanting one is that I Sail in a reservoir which is not overly deep in places so a turtle could prove to be a real PITA in the event of the mast been buried into the silt at the bottom.

I have a traditional bob on the H16 and though this serves well for this purpose it poses difficulty in stepping the mast, that extra few kg's at the end of the mast makes a huge difference when stepping and proves rather precarious in the lightest of breezes, I also solo quite a bit so further complications are compounded.

But basically: The simple design of two inflatable tubes connected with a piece of sailcloth. The sailcloth can be folded around the luff rope inside the sailtrack. The mastfloat is hoisted with the sail. Each tube has a length of 80 cm and can contain 4 litre air, so total buoyancy is 8 litre.

I appreciate the above Laser / Opti dinghy may not be up to the job due to displacement but knocking up something to do a similar job should not be too hard to achieve such as using a couple of swimming noodles held together by sail tape etc.

I can tell you for experience on H16 that the "baby bob" float will NOT keep you from going turtle if, wind is blowing hard enough and you do a pitch pole/ cartwheel mix while you and your crew are in such disbelief of what's happening to get off the darn thing until it's too late. That said, the fact that the baby bob mounts to the very top/ end of your mast is the biggest benefit as it gives you the best advantage by keeping your mast as far out of the water as possible and makes the distance you have to lift your mast past horizontal minimal. The product mentioned in the hobie add was discontinued, as I was told in a different topic, because it was heavier than the bobs and it had more drag through the air. It also didn't provide much buoyancy until it's center point or about 4 feet down the mast. Heck, I know a guy that swears by his boat fender clipped on the main halyard for a float... looks weird but it works! Whatever you use, the best way to keep you mast from turtle is to know your point of no return and get off the cat beforehand so your weight isn't helping push the mast under. Catching the righting line on the way off helps too, haha.

But before going out I decided to capsize it in standing depth for two reasons.1) the main halyard link had shot up the mast! (I hate that)2) I wanted to test the mast for water tightness.

I did not have the sails on when accomplishing this.Number 1 was successful number 2 was a failure the mast sank like a stone in about 5 feet of water. I am certain the boat would have turtled if not for the end of the mast grounding!

I could not right it in the traditional manor so decided to lift by the end of the mast and walk it up.The mast weighed a ton as it was full of water.When I finally managed to right the boat it resembled someone taking a pee due to a rivet hole near the mast base, it took nigh on 10 minutes for it to drain!